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Two very different boats! Many Countesses were home completed so care as usual in ensuring that it is properly put together, although after 25 years any major faults would have shown up. Boats are very popular for what you are looking for - better than the Moody if only because it is much "bigger" for not a very big increae in length. Ladyin Bed who posts here regularly has one and pretty sure there is also an active owners association.

a friend of mine fitted his out lived on her for 25 yrs.
sailed single-handed from Cyprus to Pukhet & back amongst other trips.
not the quickest but quite comfy accommodation, his originally had a 36hp volvo that was quite a large engine for the time

Nothing wrong with the Moody - either a 29 or a 30. Just not such a good liveaboard (if you need the space) as a Colvic or a Moody 33. The latter are very popular and the same as a 30 but the extra hull length gives a usable aft cabin. A Mark 1 would be well in budget, and possibly a Mark2, but fewer of these around.

Countess 33

Hi,
I've had my Countess 33 for 13 years (my fourth boat) and love her to bits. Designed by Ian Anderson (Seasteam 43 among others) they are a heavy-ish at 6.6 tons and big volume boat. Layouts alter slightly around the pilot berth and aft cabin area with most boats equipped with two heads (waste of space if single handing but handy for two couples).

We (me plus SWMBO) sailed ours from North Wales in 2003 and ended up in Greece in 2006. Abraxas is bilge keel and we have had no problems in big seas (Biscay and down the coast of Portugal) but I would think the fin keel boat would be better, particularly for blue water. Mine is ketch rigged and I find the flexibility of ketch far out weighs the slight perfomance gain a sloop may have to windward.

I changed the original raw water cooled 36HP Volvo for an in-direct cooled 39HP Yanmar after the Volvo's waterways became completely blocked in the South of France. My advice would be carefully check any raw water colled engine for signs of overheating.

As somone else as pointed out most boats were home completed and I've seen big differences in quality of fit out so look at as many boats as possible before deciding if the 33 is the right boat for you.